Minor Hockey Talks - Hockey Forum

Throwing out a topic around Trainers. Really my question is do Trainers have a shelf life ? If they do, how long is their shelf life? My son is on a U15AA and now had a trainer/sometimes with a partner trainer for a third consecutive season. Just feeling trainers losing impact and value for all kinds of reasons. I am also seeing that it takes a different skill set to evolve players at 14 years old versus those 9/10/11. Trainers have a huge impact on team budget and not seeing the return.

Guest wrote: ↑Mon Nov 27, 2023 1:16 pm Throwing out a topic around Trainers. Really my question is do Trainers have a shelf life ? If they do, how long is their shelf life? My son is on a U15AA and now had a trainer/sometimes with a partner trainer for a third consecutive season. Just feeling trainers losing impact and value for all kinds of reasons. I am also seeing that it takes a different skill set to evolve players at 14 years old versus those 9/10/11. Trainers have a huge impact on team budget and not seeing the return.

100% its possible for a trainer to have a shelf life.

can a trainer keep themselves relevant by changing, adding things, gaining more education, and changing the way they teach based on the skill of the kid etc etc. Of course!

but only you will know if you are getting diminishing returns. At that age and skill level you are typically going to get diminishing returns compared to when they were younger anyways. I am not suggesting your son is a finished product, but my guess is if they are a solid player at their age, they are not going to make huge leaps and bounds like they used to. Its going to be small, fine detail changes for the most part.

so, to answer your question: If the trainer isn't changing the way they teach, and what they teach over the three years - they are likely needing to be replaced.

The North Toronto learn to play skill sessions are an expensive babysitting service. There never was a self life. Run by a nutter as well.

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Nov 28, 2023 8:01 am The North Toronto learn to play skill sessions are an expensive babysitting service. There never was a self life. Run by a nutter as well.

Tara McKay's program is "meh" at best.

I am sure there are decent people that work there, and Tara McKay herself is probably wonderful. However the goofballs we get are Mid. They aren't correcting kids, they just put them through the drill, explain the next drill, and then at best give a generic "don't forget to do this"

meanwhile half the kids are doing something completely different than what they are being asked to do. Inside edge instead of outside, wrong cones, etc. Waste of money.

there are alot of mid trainers. The ones who are good have big waiting lists and do not advertise open skates. anyone looking for people to fill their camps openly are generally not very good. I have met 2 skills guys that take it seriously, use technology. are incredibly skilled/ amazing with the kids and are effective at teaching them. that is after 3 boys in minor hockey. so over 10 years. nothing worse than a guy who can barely skate charging $250 per he

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Nov 28, 2023 8:06 am

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Nov 28, 2023 8:01 am The North Toronto learn to play skill sessions are an expensive babysitting service. There never was a self life. Run by a nutter as well.

Tara McKay's program is "meh" at best.

I am sure there are decent people that work there, and Tara McKay herself is probably wonderful. However the goofballs we get are Mid. They aren't correcting kids, they just put them through the drill, explain the next drill, and then at best give a generic "don't forget to do this"

meanwhile half the kids are doing something completely different than what they are being asked to do. Inside edge instead of outside, wrong cones, etc. Waste of money.

Yeah, this checks out with my experience with them too.

They aren't terrible. But you aren't getting "elite" coaching. They seems to know what they are doing, but don't correct anything that the players are doing really. Once in a while maybe? I'll watch my kid do the drill wrong like 7 times in a row and I am fuming by the 8th time and they haven't corrected him once.

I think ours is typically 4:1, sometimes 5:1 for instructor to player. So there is 0 excuse to not correct each kid.

For goalie training my kid goes to Lawson's in Aurora. Its solid. Three different instructors my kids had, all have been good.
Kid likes it.
fairly reasonable $$, at least the 2:1 is.


My kid has also done Carson Bird in a large group session. It was pretty good. Carson skates around and gives all the kids pretty good attention as they rotate through drills.


NTR in Newmarket was meh, we did a "small group" with them 4 or 5 times, I think it was 5:1 with the instructor. Nothing great about it. It was fine. very little individual instruction for the kids - almost no real time corrections. Better than nothing, but there are better value for $$$ out there.

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Nov 28, 2023 8:13 am there are alot of mid trainers. The ones who are good have big waiting lists and do not advertise open skates. anyone looking for people to fill their camps openly are generally not very good. I have met 2 skills guys that take it seriously, use technology. are incredibly skilled/ amazing with the kids and are effective at teaching them. that is after 3 boys in minor hockey. so over 10 years. nothing worse than a guy who can barely skate charging $250 per he

I think for me, the kids are on the ice so much now. That average trainers don't have a place any more. anything that I am willing to add another day to my kids already busy schedule needs to be very productive use of our time. otherwise its just ice time for the sake of ice time. back in the day when kids were only on the ice 2 or 3 times a week, that might have been valuable in itself. now, my kid is already on the ice minimum 4 times a week, sometimes 5. if i am adding something to his schedule, it needs to be good.

there are 0 good shooting coaches. you got old guys with big bellies doing half hearted sessions

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Nov 28, 2023 10:08 am there are 0 good shooting coaches. you got old guys with big bellies doing half hearted sessions

This is an issue as you get into teenage years. Kids can get back into bad habits around shooting .. arm too close to body, big wind ups, hand position on blade, wrists in wrong position. Finding our trainer is doing zero, I mean zero work on correcting bad habits. Also, where is the work plan between sessions? No email, no detailed work plan for the teenagers. Yes, some falls on coaches but trainers need to spot this within team as well. I agree, need at least two trainers out for a team. Any suggestions for a GTA AA U15 team?